A schoolboy died from serious burns when his mobile phone exploded beside his head as he used it late at night, his family has claimed.

The tragedy reportedly happened when 16-year-old Wisam Ali Muhammad was using his mobile phone at home in the village of Esayi in Bawanur district in Garmian in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

Medics rushed to the scene and discovered he had burns over a large part of the top of his body.

He was transferred to the serious burns unit of the main hospital in the nearby city of Sulaymaniyah but died a short while later from his injuries.

A relative, Jahangir Muhammad, said that the family had rushed to the hospital with him but that he had not recovered and had died without regaining consciousness.

He told local media, including Rudaw Media Network, that the phone the boy had been using when it exploded was an iPhone, but did not specify what model.

He said that the explosion happened shortly after midnight as the youngster had the phone next to his head.

Experts are examining whether the phone exploded and declined to comment on the model and also whether the parts, including the battery, were original.